Youngsters, such as these from the Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School, would be required to have additional physical education under a pending bill.

It sounds like a terrific, common-sense idea - a bill that would require schools to provide at least 30 minutes of physical education every school day to kindergartners through fifth-graders.

With a quarter of Wisconsin adolescents overweight or obese, according to the state Department of Health Services, kids need to get more exercise. And it's best to get them in the habit of exercising when they're young.

The state Assembly bill, authored by Rep. Chad Weininger, R-Green Bay, recently had a public hearing and its fate is undetermined, especially with time running out in this year's legislative session.

But it's an idea that isn't going to go away - nor should it. Kids, in general, do need to get more exercise.

But it's not as simple as adding the half-hour-every-day requirement. Where is that time going to come from in the school day?

State law currently requires physical education three times a week for elementary school students, but for an unspecified time. And, as the academic demands on schools have grown, phy ed has been one area that has been cut back to make time for them.

Many schools and school districts also have cut back on kids' recess time.

As the pendulum swings back to wanting students to get more physical activity in the school day, are the education expectations - including testing - going to be scaled back to accommodate it? Unlikely.

Is the school day going to be lengthened to accommodate it? Unlikely.

So, as well-intentioned as this bill is, there needs to be a determination about what it really means - to not just the physical education of our kids, but their academic education, too.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Other Views: More physical education not as easy as it sounds

It sounds like a terrific, common-sense idea ? a bill that would require schools to provide at least 30 minutes of physical education every school day to kindergartners through fifth-graders.

A link to this page will be included in your message.

Join Our Team!

If you are interested in working for an innovative media company, you can learn more by visiting: